


White Lily, Rose Thorn: Forbidden Romance!!!

by Gargant



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-09 06:32:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8879614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gargant/pseuds/Gargant
Summary: Hanamaru has never really had strong feelings on the romance genre, but when she finds a misplaced light novel and decides to read, her entire perspective shifts as she becomes more and more consumed by her investment in the story. Unfortunately, both Yoshiko and Ruby begin to feel a little envious at Hanamaru's lack of attention...This is light-hearted Aqours fluff focused on the first-years!





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kisuru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kisuru/gifts).



> Happy holidays, seasons greetings, and I hope you enjoy! And in particular, I hope you have a wonderful festive season, Kisuru!!

When Hanamaru arrived at the clubroom and found it empty, she smiled a contented smile and pulled a chair into the corner of the room, just like she always did. She liked arriving first. These quiet moments alone to read and contemplate were invaluable, even more so now that she was so busy with Aqours.

She had her own books with her, just like always, and she'd reached into her bag to pluck one out when something caught her eye. Hanamaru rose and reached under the table in front of her, a small perplexed frown on her face as her grasping hand caught hold of the discarded book.

How could anyone treat a book with such disrespect! Alone in the room, Hanamaru huffed and turned the book over in her hands, dusting off the cover and flicking through the pages curiously.

It was a light novel, judging from the illustrations dotted throughout. This wasn't even the first volume, but there was a little blurb at the front explaining the story up to this point. Hanamaru scanned it with a bemused eye, slowly backing up a few steps and sinking down into her seat. When the other club members arrived in twos and threes, she barely glanced up to greet them.

 

-

 

"Um..."

Seated in front of Ruby, Hanamaru's small shoulders remained hunched forward. Ruby fidgeted nervously, before trying again.

"Um, Hanamaru-chan...?"

Still nothing. Ruby's voice trailed off to a quiet little peep, her brow knotted with concern. This was strange. This was completely strange. Ruby ducked her head, watching as her classmates pooled into groups of lunchtime gossip or slowly filtered out of the room. Near the doorway she could see Yoshiko looking in their direction, her expression growing steadily more confused and impatient as they failed to join her.

Already blushing in anticipation, Ruby sucked in her breath, braced herself for three long seconds, and finally gasped, "Hanamaru-chan!!"

Around them, three different people jumped in their seats and turned to stare. Ruby shrank so low into her chair she almost disappeared beneath the desk, her face glowing hot. But it worked—sort of. Hanamaru didn't startle, but she did look up from her desk to glance back over her shoulder.

"Huh? What's up, zura?"

From her position at eye-level with her desk, Ruby could barely muster up the courage to speak again, stuttering over the words before finally managing to string them together. "C-Class is over..." She sat up slightly as Yoshiko approached, grateful for the promise of someone more eye-catching than herself. "It's lunchtime."

"Over?" Hanamaru blinked owlishly, before glancing around the room. Her eyes widened further. "It's already lunchtime?"

"Hey!" A hand slammed down on the desk, dainty nails painted in pristine black. Yoshiko's action was loud, her expression merely perplexed. "What's going on? Are you guys coming or not?"

"We're coming!" Ruby piped up, jumping to her feet. In front of her, Hanamaru rose as well, her smile now sheepish and thankfully much more familiar. Ruby sighed with relief at the sight.

"I'm sorry," Hanamaru said, before casting a covert glance around them. Satisfied by whatever she saw, she reached behind her back and lifted something from under her desk. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and conspiratorial. "I got distracted by this."

In her hands was a book. "You were slacking!" Yoshiko immediately crowed in disbelief, but Ruby knew better than to be surprised by that. Hanamaru was smart enough that she could read story books during class and still get high grades. She barely had to study at all. It was just one of the things Ruby loved about her, and one of the things Ruby was jealous of—even with her sister Dia supporting her, Ruby still had to work twice as hard to get grades only half as good.

So instead of being surprised, Ruby leaned closer, reading out the title in complete innocence. "White Lily, Rose Thorn: Forbidden--" She stuttered again, heat flooding back to her face, "Forbidden Romance...!!"

The cover depicted a handsome feminine boy with red hair and a playful, taunting expression, leaning over a blonde-haired girl and holding her chin in his hand. The blonde girl looked frightened, but she didn't seem to be trying to escape. Ruby moved to look closer, but just as suddenly Hanamaru whisked it away to hold it against her chest. She didn't look embarrassed at all. In fact, she looked thunderstruck and starry-eyed. Ruby stared, more than a little taken aback.

"Romance?" Yoshiko asked, and Ruby was secretly gratified to see Yoshiko looked a little flustered as well. "Since when do you read romance?"

Distracted as she was, Hanamaru still managed to start drifting in the direction of the classroom door as she spoke—Yoshiko and Ruby shared a quick glance as they followed after her. "I don't usually, but I found this in the clubroom, and when I asked who it belonged to no one seemed to know."

Ruby remembered now. Dia had reasoned that it had to belong to someone in the room because no one else should have been accessing the clubroom, but Riko had been adamant that it wasn't important and had fervently insisted they move on to some other topic. That had set Mari into a fit of giggles no one could seem to make sense of, and Hanamaru had put the book into her bag. No book deserves to go unloved, she'd said, and Ruby had smiled fondly at her friend.

Now she could only listen with increasing bewilderment as Hanamaru continued. "I just started reading it because I had it. At first I didn't get it at all, but then suddenly it made sense." Out in the hallway Hanamaru spun around to face them, walking precariously backwards as she continued explaining. "Aiko can't help but be attracted to Ryo because she has more in common with him than she's ever had with any other boy. She can sense that they're the same somehow, and even though he drives her crazy and even though he frightens her sometimes, there's a part of her that wants to understand."

"Who cares about that!" Yoshiko cut in suddenly, throwing her hands up in the air in apparent exasperation. "There's enough boy stuff out there without you bringing us even more of it! I never took you for a mushy-gushy girl." With a pointed look that lacked malice, she added, "I always thought you were the romance type, Ruby-chan."

"No!" Ruby immediately insisted, flinching away from even the possibility of it. "Aiko should stay away from Ryo! I saw him on the cover! He looks scary..."

Hanamaru looked affronted at the very suggestion, but still managed an affectionate smile. "It's not like that! Ryo's got a good heart, once you get to know her."

Ruby cocked her head, trying to parse what she'd just heard. Yoshiko missed her step entirely, and when she scurried forward to catch up her voice exploded down the hallway. "What? What, what!? You said Ryo was a guy!"

Hanamaru's eyes twinkled with delight. "That's what everyone thinks! But Ryo is secretly Ryoko—that's why Aiko thinks they're the same somehow, but she doesn't know the secret truth that Ryo conceals in her heart."

"Now hold on!" Yoshiko snapped, hands on her hips and feet firmly planted. Ruby and Hanamaru dutifully stopped, waiting for her to speak her mind. "If Aiko's a girl and Ryo's a girl, then just what kind of story is this, huh?!"

"Forbidden Romance...!" Ruby squeaked, remembering the title she'd seen on the cover, and the way Ryo's handsome face had struck her as somehow feminine. By now she was so accustomed to blushing in this conversation that she barely even felt the heat rise to her face.

For the first time since they'd started talking, Hanamaru looked just a little bit upset—the sight immediately made Ruby's heart ache with regret. "Do you think it's bad, Yoshiko-chan?"

"Yo-ha-ne!" Yoshiko immediately sounded back at her, this time folding her arms and pouting up at the ceiling. "I didn't say it was bad. You just... advertised it wrong!" Huffing, she muttered, "You can be mushy-gushy about it if you like."

To Ruby's immense relief, Hanamaru's smile returned brighter than ever.

 

-

 

Halfway through practice that afternoon, Hanamaru howled with glee and slammed the book closed, beating her feet against the floor in an unprecedented fit of excitement. Yoshiko, cooling down from practicing her steps alongside Mari, thumped down next to her and gave a weighty sigh of relief.

"You finished, Zuramaru?"

Hanamaru nodded enthusiastically.

"That means you can finally stop slacking off and get practicing already! Dia-san keeps glaring over here!" Leaning closer and lowering her voice, she added, "Ruby-chan's scared for you."

Hanamaru twitched to attention at that, taking the time to wave a smiling reassurance in Ruby’s direction. Across the other side of their rooftop practice space, and deep in conversation with You and Chika, Ruby glanced up long enough to smile and wave in response.

Reassured that her friend was finally going to emerge from the world of Forbidden Romance and start paying attention to what they'd been doing for the past hour, Yoshiko allowed herself to give Hanamaru an indulgent smile.

"Was it a happy ending?"

"Ending?" Hanamaru frowned confusion as she climbed to her feet. "That wasn't the ending. This was only volume four."

As Hanamaru cheerfully bounced across the roof to go and join Ruby and the others, Yoshiko’s desperate cry of, "Out of how many?!" went woefully ignored.

 

-

 

"So when Ryo finds out that Aiko approves of Sasaki and Minami she decides that it's time to come clean and admit who she is and how she really feels, but right _then_ is when Aiko finds out that her brother has been in the accident. And she's so upset and Ryo knows that she can't confess now because he never would have been driving so dangerously if Ryo hadn't turned him down in the first place." Hanamaru huffed indignantly, hands clutching at her book as though it would disappear if she released it. "Ryo blames herself even though she didn't do anything wrong! And because she feels responsible she's going to keep trying to stay away from Aiko, even though that's just hurting Aiko more, zura!!"

With a frustrated cry of anguished defeat, Hanamaru flopped back on the bed. Around her, eight pairs of bewildered eyes blinked in unison.

"That sounds..." Chika floundered for a response, looking at her friends for some sort of clue of how to respond. Riko, so often on edge when Shiitake might be around, was looking positively flustered by this latest rendition of the events in White Lily, Rose Thorn. Kanan had turned pink, and Mari looked very much like she was trying not to disappear into another flurry of giggles.

As was so often the case, it fell to Dia to try and wrangle things back under control. "What, exactly, did any of that have to do with Chika's new lyrics?"

From up on Chika's bed, Hanamaru rolled onto her side just enough to show Dia a guilty expression. "Chika-senpai's song is a love song...?"

"A platonic love song! This isn't the time for romance!" Dia scowled, and didn't stop until Hanamaru slid down from the bed to rejoin the rest of Aqours in a semi-circle on the floor. "Honestly, this isn't like you. Please, stay focused!"

Seated beside her sister, Ruby fidgeted, looked down at her hands, and silently agreed.

 

-

 

Yoshiko pushed her sunglasses further up her nose, staring out over the ocean and feeling the sea breeze tug playfully through the frilly petticoat layers beneath her skirt.

Actually, there wasn't anything playful about it. The wind was picking  up, the sky was clouding over, and Yoshiko had the distinct and unfortunate impression that if Ruby didn't show up soon she was almost certainly going to get rained on. As if to punctuate her concern, a smattering of ocean mist peppered her face, instantly misting up her glasses.

She was still sputtering indignantly when she finally heard Ruby's voice calling to her. Quickly reclaiming her lost dignity, Yoshiko slowly turned around, one hand placed adjacent to her chin in a familiar pose. Ruby instantly balked at the sight—an appropriate reaction when confronted with the power of a fallen angel.

"Ruby," Yoshiko began in a ponderous voice, voice loud enough to carry over the beach as Ruby slowly approached, "I think—"

And that was as far as she got before the heavens opened above them. Yoshiko barely had time to shriek in dismay before the sheets of rainwater roared across the ocean behind them, and then Ruby was wailing too and waving her arms desperately in the direction of the nearest beachside diner. Left with little other choice, the two of them sprinted across the beach, Yoshiko's delicate shoes struggling against the rapidly dampening sand beneath her heels.

Bursting through the cafe doorway at the same time, gasping and shivering on the placemat and immediately catching the attention of the kindly cafe owner, the two girls wrang the water out of their hair and patted futilely at their soaked clothes.

"Always...!" Yoshiko cried, "Always! This always happens! When will Heaven's cruel judgement be satisfied...!"

Ruby, immediately aware of the attention they were gathering, scampered over to the counter and ordered them both a hot georgia coffee. By the time she had their order Yoshiko had chosen a table for them. Ruby hesitated when she noticed Yoshiko had placed a familiar book in the centre of the table, and had surrounded it with various arcane runes hastily drawn onto napkins. Ruby gulped, and placed one of the warm cans in front of Yoshiko.

With rainwater still trickling down her face, Yoshiko waited for Ruby to take a seat before narrowing her eyes and speaking the words she had originally intended to say out by the ocean.

"I think you know why I, the fallen angel Yohane, called you here today."

Ruby did know—or at least, she still had the text message that Yoshiko had sent her. "Y-you said to meet before practice so we could... we could..." She didn't want to say the words aloud—just remembering them was enough to get her squirming with uncertainty. "S-so we could make Hanamaru-chan go back to normal... Yoshiko—"

"Yohane!" Yoshiko immediately interrupted; Ruby continued nonetheless, determined to confess her concerns.

"We shouldn't talk about Hanamaru-chan when she isn't here. And I... I'm happy that she likes something new! Even if," Ruby swallowed, dashing her hands across her face to wipe away the tickling drops of rain, "Even if she doesn't have much time for me any more."

Wasn't that what a good friend would say? A good friend wouldn't get jealous of a book, would they? And Hanamaru had always loved the library more than anything else, so this really wasn't any different, was it? Ruby clenched her fists in her lap, gazing down at the table and willing herself not to cry. It didn't make sense to feel so conflicted about something so small, did it?

Yoshiko's laughter was very low, and very... unnerving. Ruby glanced up through her soggy red bangs, and wasn't at all surprised to see the expression on Yoshiko's face. "My little demon... don't you want Hanamaru-chan to talk to you any more?"

"I do!" Ruby protested.

"Don't you want her to practice with everyone else?"

"Of course I do!"

"Don't you want her to stay with Aqours until the very end? Don't you want her to always show up to the clubroom first? Don't you want to hear her -zura's every day?"

Ruby raised her hands to ball beneath her chin, nodding frantically. "I do! I do!"

But Yoshiko wasn't done. "Don't you want her to scold you? Don't you want her to be there to tell you when you're going too far?" Now she'd surged to her feet, palms splayed across the table as she leaned across to shout into Ruby's face. "If we don't do something, Zuramaru's gonna disappear! We have to protect her! We can't let her go!"

"Right!" Ruby cried in turn, too caught in the moment to be at all self-conscious of the people staring at them. "We have to! Y-Your little demon is ready!"

Yoshiko slowly sank back into her seat, her expression easing from exaggerated concern to one of supreme confidence. "Ufufu... Then let's begin. Place your trust at the altar of this fallen angel, my little Ruby-chan."

Ruby nodded firmly, turning her gaze to the true enemy in their midst: White Lily, Rose Thorn: Forbidden Romance. This book was volume four, the first one that Hanamaru had found and the thing that had started this entire chain of events. _I hate you!!_ Ruby tried thinking to herself, doing her very best to glower at the offending book. "What do we have to do, Yohane-chan?"

Yoshiko reached into her bag and pulled out a candle, her expression serene with confidence as she said, "We burn it."

"No!!" Ruby immediately shrieked, flinging herself across the table to protect the book and turning an imploring gaze up at Yoshiko's astonished face. "You can't burn things here!"

"We can't burn things outside, either! It's still raining!" Yoshiko retorted, lowering her voice dangerously, "This is the only way we can perform the ritual!!"

Ruby searched desperately for something else she could say. "Hanamaru-chan would never forgive you if you hurt a book!"

That argument worked a lot more effectively. Yoshiko slumped back in her chair and crossed her arms, her brow furrowed in obvious consternation. "Zuramaru doesn't have to know..." She murmured, but she didn't sound convinced. Ruby sighed with relief, and slid back into her own seat.

"Maybe if we just explain how we feel...?" Ruby suggested tentatively. Yoshiko waved the idea away; she'd already put too much time into this demonic ritual to give up on it so easily.

"Lucifer is with us, Ruby-chan. Do you want to disappoint Him?" Ruby shook her head fervently, eyes wide as saucers. Yoshiko gave a sage nod, leaning forward slightly to glare down at White Lily, Rose Thorn. "If we can't burn it, then we'll simply have to place a curse."

"A curse?" Ruby asked with some reservation, but it seemed that Yoshiko was already enamoured with the idea, leaning forward to once again rearrange the napkins she had placed around the table. Rummaging in her bag once more, Yoshiko produced a black feather and a tiny glass vial filled with something Ruby couldn't identify.

"A curse," She confirmed, laying the feather down on the book cover with a nefarious grin. "Next time we see our dear Zuramaru, White Lily, Rose Thorn will no longer be a problem..."

Ruby chewed her lip, clenched her fists, and secretly prayed that it would be true.

 

-

 

Yet the next time they were all gathered in the clubroom, it seemed as if nothing had changed after all. Just last week it would have been difficult to imagine Hanamaru being late to anything. Now Dia-sempai was calling their latest Aqours club meeting into session and there were still only eight members present. Yoshiko knew that she should have been trying to focus, but it wasn't until the clubroom door finally slid open and Hanamaru sidled through that she finally found an outlet for her attention.

"You're late!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet and pointing an accusatory finger in Hanamaru's direction. Hanamaru immediately balked, backing up against the clubroom wall and looking very much like a rabbit caught in headlights as all attention turned to her.

At the front of the room, Dia cleared her throat. "You _are_ late." For a second it seemed as though Hanamaru was about to get another roasting, but then Dia's expression seemed to turn slightly—a hint of the sisterly indulgence that was usually reserved for Ruby only. "Distracted by that book again?"

Whatever reaction any of them might have expected, it wasn't the one they received. Hanamaru's nervous expression almost seemed to flee from her face, the tension disappearing to be replaced by nothing more than listless disappointment. Nonetheless she clasped her hands before her and dipped her head in apology, shuffling toward the empty seat next to Kanan.

"I'm sorry for being tardy," She said softly, "I promise it won't happen again."

All of which meant that Yoshiko still couldn't relax. It wasn't until they were dispersing to head up to the rooftop that she was finally able to ask Hanamaru what was wrong, by which time Ruby had hurried over to check on their friend as well. Hanamaru's smile had never looked so bleak, although she did make the reassuring effort of taking Ruby's hand in her own.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Ruby-chan, Yoshiko-chan." Walking slowly toward the rooftop alongside them, Hanamaru sighed. "I've run outta White Lily, Rose Thorn. So, I won't be distracted any more. I'm sorry for being so outta it, zura."

Usually Hanamaru was self-conscious about her dialect, but right now she didn't even seem to notice the rural drawl to her words. Yoshiko's frown deepened. "Did it end badly?"

"If only!" Hanamaru shook her head despairingly. "It didn't end at all. The series was discontinued after eighteen volumes."

"That many?!" Ruby cried, then ducked her head slightly at Hanamaru's bemused expression. "I can't believe you read so many books so quickly. That's amazing...! I could never...!"

"No kidding," Yoshiko added, thinking back to the tomes of ancient European curses she had gathering dust in her own home. At least they made good props, if nothing else. Glancing over Hanamaru's downturned head, she couldn't help but make nervous eye contact with Ruby. Didn't this mean that the curse had worked? Wasn't this exactly what they'd wanted?

Except _now_ things seemed worse than ever. Not only was Hanamaru acting unlike herself, she seemed depressed as well.

"Well, why not..." Yoshiko groped around mentally, trying to think of something that would cheer up a library kid like Zuramaru. "I know! The author must have written other stories, right? We'll help you find some, right, Ruby-chan?"

At least Yoshiko wasn't the only one feeling guilty—Ruby nodded so enthusiastically her red pigtails bounced. Hanamaru gave them each a grateful smile, but it was still lacking her usual bright-eyed cheer. "You're probably right. Thank you." And for a second she almost looked completely sincere... but then she glanced down at her feet, expression wistful and faraway. "I just wish I coulda found out what happened to Ryo-chan and Aiko-chan..."

Yoshiko was still mulling over those words when Hanamaru dashed a few steps ahead of them, looking over her shoulder with feigned cheerfulness. "I've been practising on the stairs near the temple—race you to the top!"

And away she went, disappearing up the zig-zagging staircase and beyond their sight. Ruby, hands bundled up into nervous fists, looked set to follow when she gave a startled wail—no doubt because Yoshiko had just grabbed her.

"Ruby-chan~" She cooed, and Ruby recognised Yohane's demonic tones when she heard them. "I have an idea."

 

-

 

Hanamaru had been completely sincere when she promised to be more attentive to Aqours, and it was a promise she kept. It had been three days since she'd reached the non-conclusion of White Lily, Rose Thorn, and she hadn't been late to anything. She'd spent time with Chika working on lyrics, offered to sit in with Riko while she composed, helped Ruby colour in schedules that Dia had concocted, and even tried to come up with new ideas for Mari's latest Aqours PV.

None of them could really fill the void that always appeared at the end of an amazing book, and Hanamaru couldn't remember ever having to face the disappointment of a story that was never going to finish. But it was okay—the world of books would always mean so much to her, but Aqours too had an incredible place in her heart, and with each passing day she became more aware of how neglecting these important friends had been a mistake. She was excited to make up for the days where she hadn't been giving her all, and more determined than ever to give everything she could give for the sake of reaching the Love Live finals.

So when Riko approached her at the end of school one day to hand her a black envelope patterned with swirling red blotches, Hanamaru wasn't sure what to think. Riko herself looked confused and apologetic.

"I was told to tell you this is from "the lost daughter of the underworld, the fallen angel Yohane," Riko recited stiffly, before adding, "I think Yoshiko-chan wants you to come to the auditorium."

"What's she up to now, zura," Hanamaru muttered without malice, carefully easing her thumbnail along the glue of the envelope and delicately peeling it open. The letter inside was written on some sort of fancy-looking parchment—Hanamaru couldn't help but smile as she unfolded it and began to read the contents aloud. "Come to the auditorium if you want to see Aiko again." Hanamaru blinked, reading the words again quickly. "Aiko? Does she mean—"

"White Lily, Rose Thorn?!" Riko finished, peering over at the letter herself. Her cheeks coloured as Hanamaru looked at her. "I just remember you talking about it, that's all! I don't know anything about it otherwise, okay?!" Seeming far too flustered, Riko quickly hurried on. "Yoshiko-chan is talking about Aiko from Lily Rose, isn't she?"

Perplexed, but already feeling a confident warmth blossom in her chest, Hanamaru smiled. "Let's go and see, okay?"

 

-

 

Sure enough, when Hanamaru pushed through the double doors of the auditorium, Riko was trailing just a few steps behind her. The room was dark even in the middle of the afternoon, with all the window curtains drawn and the stage unlit. Riko hesitated. "Are we supposed to be here...?"

"Yooooshiko-chan!" Hanamaru yelled into the gloomy hall, not the least bit concerned. If Yoshiko said to be here, then Yoshiko would be here too. Sure enough, a sudden cackle erupted from somewhere behind the stage.

But this laughter wasn't the melodious demonic sound of the fallen angel Yohane. Hanamaru squeaked in sudden recognition of the high-pitched, almost hysteric, laughter that was rolling across the stage. "Ruby-chan...?" She heard Riko say behind her, utterly disbelieving.

The girl that emerged from behind the curtain was indeed unmistakably Ruby, and yet so unlike Ruby that Hanamaru had to hold her side to keep from doubling over with laughter. Dressed in a boys uniform and with her long hair slicked back away from her face, Ruby took the centre of the stage and jammed her hands on her hips, crotch thrust forward in the archetypical stance of a stereotypical alpha-male. The whole image was ludicrously offset by the intense blush that consumed Ruby's face, the way she was so obviously trying not to tremble, her feminine appearance not the least bit disguised.

When she spoke her voice quavered, but it carried across the auditorium hall they way only a school idol's voice could. "Aiko-chan! I, Ryo, have called you here today! Don't hide from me any more! There is something I have to... I have to reveal to you!"

From somewhere off the right side of the stage, Yoshiko's familiar voice rang true. "Presenting, for the enjoyment of Zuramaru! The final chapter of White Rose, Lily Thorn: Forbidden Romance!"

"It's White Lily, Rose Thorn!" Riko's voice hissed indignantly beside her.

"Shush!" Hanamaru whispered in turn, gazing up at the stage with gleaming eyes as Yoshiko came into view.

Decked out from head to toe in gleaming white, complete with a ridiculous blonde wig that didn't quite conceal her dark hairline, Yoshiko wafted delicately onto the stage with an expression of lovelorn grief etched onto her face. She might have looked beautiful if the whole thing wasn't so ridiculous—Hanamaru's heart ached, and not only from the excruciating effort of keeping her laughter on the inside.

"Ryo!" Yoshiko began, speaking in a ludicrously affected tone of voice, high-pitched and falsely over-feminine, "I swore that I would never speak to you again! Pray, tell me why you have brought me here, when already my heart has been torn in twain by your cruel games?"

Riko began to speak again, looking more indignant than ever—Hanamaru hushed her before she had the chance to finish her undoubtedly valid complaint.

"Aiko—" Ruby began, sounding very much like her usual self; Yoshiko shook her head and waved frantically with one hand, a gesture that seemed to scream _lower, lower_!

Sure enough, when Ruby spoke again it was in a caricature just as ridiculous as the one Yoshiko had used: a ddecidedly feminine attempt at a distinctly masculine baritone. "Aiko, we belong together! Can't you see it?"

"Oh, Ryo, please! You know I could never be with a playboy like you...!" Yoshiko bent backwards beneath the weight of her hand flung against her forehead. "I must inherit my uncle's wealth, and he despises you so fiercely...!"

Ruby puffed up her chest, reaching one hand toward Yoshiko beseechingly. "Gossip and lies! I only care for you, Aiko! No one else will do! And there is something I must tell you..."

Hanamaru found herself edging closer to the stage, absolutely enthralled by the drama unfolding before her.

"Aiko," Ruby continued, striding forward and seizing Yoshiko's hands between hers. "I am no playboy! I... I am..." From this distance Hanamaru could see Ruby's nervous gulp, but she could also see the way her eyes glittered with enthusiasm at being on the stage, so similar to the times when they had performed together. Hanamaru's heart clenched tighter. "I am... a playwoman!"

It was just as well that Yoshiko reacted with an unseemly shriek of surprise at that revelation—this time Hanamaru couldn't keep her laughter inside, and momentarily doubled over. By the time she'd straightened back up it seemed that Yoshiko, too, had managed to compose herself.

"Then you're..."

"I am."

"And we're..."

"What are we, Aiko?" Ruby seemed to be getting more and more into her role, jumping closer to seize Yoshiko by the shoulders. Yoshiko turned her face away, doing everything in her power to play the delicate waif to Ruby's assertive masculine persona. Ruby had always had a way of seeming shorter than her 152 centimetres—now she gave off an aura that almost seemed to have her towering over Yoshiko. Hanamaru grinned at the sight of them.

"We're...!" Yoshiko gazed out at the audience of two as if searching for aid, before closing her eyes and placing a hand over her heart. Then she turned, and with a dip of her knee flung herself against Ruby's chest in a wild embrace. "Ryoko...! I love you!"

Just when it seemed as though Ruby had everything under control she turned pink again, but nonetheless managed to gather Yoshiko closer. "I l... I lo... I like you so much too! Let's always stay together, Aiko-chan!"

"Together forever, Ryoko-chan!" Yoshiko cried in turn, and for one heart-stopping second Hanamaru thought the two were going to kiss, and she forgot all about Aiko and Ryoko altogether. The moment seemed suspended before her, Yoshiko staring up at Ruby, Ruby biting her lip and staring back with wide watery eyes.

When they shrieked they did so in unison, and Hanamaru had no choice but to collapse into another fit of laughter. Ruby spun away and nearly tripped, Yoshiko buried her red face in her hands, and then the two gathered themselves enough to face the front of the stage and bow.

Ruby had become so overwhelmed that tears were standing on her cheeks as she bowed, crying, "We're sorry, Hanamaru-chan!" over and over again.

It was Yoshiko that shed some light on that, sounding almost as anguished as poor Ruby. "We got jealous, all right?! We missed you! But it was stupid, so we're sorry, and we hope you liked this, so we can all forget this ever happened and go back to the way it was before! It's not every day a fallen angel apologises, so just accept it straight away, okay?!"

"Mm!" It was the only response Hanamaru could manage, carefully trying to quell her own tears as she clambered gracelessly onto the stage. There wasn't any time to think about it, and she didn't want to let the moment escape—she dashed forward and kissed Yoshiko, ducking away almost instantly to give Ruby the same. The two were still reeling when she grabbed them each by the wrist and pulled them close to her, wrapping her arms about their shoulders in a hug she never wanted to end. "You're both dumb," She said, with all the love in the world. "Thank you, zura. Thank you both so much, zura...!"

 

-

 

They all left the auditorium together, Ruby trying to fluff her hair back to it's usual style and Yoshiko loudly complaining about how the wig had left her scalp itching. Hanamaru trailed along behind them with Riko drifting at her side, looking as shell-shocked and bemused as Hanamaru had ever seen her.

But she smiled when she spoke, and even despite her sceptical tone Hanamaru knew that, on some level, Riko understood. "Was that the ending you were hoping for?" She asked.

Hanamaru thought of all the unanswered questions in the whirlwind love story that had subsumed her imagination. She thought of the plot threads that still hung unravelled, and the mysteries that had yet to be laid bare, of the broken hearts that still deserved a chance to mend.

And she thought of her two best friends, the girls she loved most in the entire world, putting their dignity aside because they wanted to see her happiness again.

"Yes," She said simply, and smiled her very brightest smile. "It was perfect."


End file.
